BETWEEN THE LINES

Sideshow Was a Real Knock-Down, Drag-Out

Fernando Vargas may have been the attraction, but Derrell Coley and Kip Diggs provided the action Tuesday night at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center.

While Vargas was center stage at a press conference moments after knocking out Jorge Morales 56 seconds into his first professional fight, Coley and Diggs were slugging it out in the ring for the vacant North American Boxing Federation welterweight title.

In a seesaw battle, Coley (30-1-2, 22 knockouts) floored Diggs (27-3) in the sixth and 10th rounds before knocking him out 12 seconds into the 11th.

Diggs knocked down Coley in the third, fifth and seventh rounds.

At the time the fight was stopped, Coley was ahead on one judge's card, 93-91, while another judge favored Diggs, 94-90. A third judge had it 92-92.